St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-15
FORT BENTON.
The City at the Head of Naviqable
Waters of the Missouri
River.
4 Presentation of It's Claims to be the
Commercial Center of the
New Northwest.
Something of The Past, Present and
Future of The Most Promising
City of Montana.

town in Montana, although for several
decades it was only an Indian trading
fort, pure and simple, where few de-
termined and daring men headQuartered
for the purpose of carrying on trade
with the red man. In that period it was
the head center of the American Fur
company and the principal trading post
OF the whole Northwest country, being
thus marked out by the experience of
the trader and the unerring verdict of
the Indian as the natural point, the
central location, to which all trails were
easy.
THE GOLD PERIOD.
When gold was discovered in Montana
then Idaho in 1862, many of the seek
ers of the shining metal came to the
mines by the river route, the Fur COM
pany having inaugurated the steamboat
business on the Upper Missouri short
time prior to that date, and from this
time forward the place began to assume
something of commercial Importance,
varying with the tickleneSs of placer
mining, Through the sixties and sew
entities Fort Benton was the entrepot of
the territory, to which point all freight
was shipped by the river route, and
thence distributed to all parts of the
country by the slow but certain bull and
mule trains. During this time, how
ever, Il change was gradually taking
place. The
PLACERS PLAYED OUT,
but the great bonanza quartz mines
more than filled their places. The buff
falO disappeared and in their stead came
the domestic animals and The great cat
tie, sheep and horse industries. The
Union and Northern Pacific railroads
entered the territory and the business
OF the river was cut down to a smaller
area, but an area of
RAREsT RESOURCES
which developed rapidly and Fort Ben
ton continued to be an important COM
mercial center and the supply and ship
ping point for the great stock, agricul-
Iural and mineral region Of northern
Montana. From an homogeneous col
lection of log and adobe houses ten
years ago. Fort Benton has grown into
an inviting city with more substantial
buildings and
MORE WEALTH,
in proportion to population, than prOba-
bly, amy other town i'll the Northwest
1T is regularly organized city with q
population OF about 1000, and its mer-
chants transact annually an enormous
business. the country for 100 miles or
or more in all directions being for the
most part tributary TO it. The finest
store buildings and the largest stocks of
merchandise i'll the territory are found
here, such being required to meet the
demands of the trade.
BUILDINGS.
The public and private buildings of
Fort Benton are not equaled anywhere
by town of the same proportions, as
will be i'll some measure shown by the
following reference to a few OF them:
The court house IS Il substantial brick.
two stories and basement. of tasty arch
itectural design, occupying choice
central location, and cost SJO.000.
The jail, standing on the same square,
one-story brick, with roomy basement,
and furnished throughout with steel
cages and all modern improvements,
cost $4,000.
The school houses, which stand Oh a
block reserved especially for this pur-
pose, consists of the first building, one
story brick, which cost $1,000, to which
an l. was added, when needed. which
cost $1,000. The second building. which
the growing requirements of the town
demanded, is 4 two-Story brick with
stone baSemcnt-a beautiful. substantial
and c0mm0diOus building, costing So
coo, and the finest temple of learning in
Montana.
The Sisters hospital. tWO-stOry brick.
cost $1,000.
The Catholic church, large frame
building and dwelling Of the Fathers,
stands upon a square devoted exclusive
ly to its use. cost. we presume, $4,000
The neat little Episcopal church, built
of brick, cost 1000.
Two splendid brick hotels ornament
our streets-one three-story, sixty rooms,
costing $50, coo; the other tWO-St0ry. with
twenty-five rooms, costing $4,000 or
$1,000. Also two nice frame hotels,
representing an outlay of $4,000.
All of our leading mercantile houses
occupy, without exception, brick build
ingS, some of them doubled. two-story.
and all having splendid cellars, which
cost from 1900 to 1000 each. Ii adj
dition to this they have large outside
warehouses for receiving and forward
ing freight.
EFT CETERAS.
There are three church organizations
Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist
one of the best general schools III the
territory, two banks, the Office of the
collector of customs for the district of
Montana and Idaho, daily newspaper
and all the ct ceteraS of live and pro-
greSSiVe Western city.
RESOURCES.
Northern Montana, of which Fort
Benton is The central city. is in the main
devoted to stock growing and agricul-
ture, although with the advent of the
railroad its immense coal fields will give
rise to another great industry. Here is
found in unlimited quantities the best
coal in the Northwest, and it is already
practically demonstrated that it viii
make an excellent article OF coke, for
which there IS even now demand for
many train loads daily III the Silver and
copper mining districts Of the territory.
Cheap transportation is alone needed to
start this industry into active life, and
that is near at hand.
STOCK.
III 1856, 1918 head of cattle valued at
S1,74a7a5; l4I,2s7 head OF sheep, valued
at S297, $50; G.490 head Of horses. valued
az 1928 $50, were assessed in Choteau
county, of which Fort Benton is the
seat of government. This represents
really less than two-thirds Of the nIim-
Der and value If The herds and flockS i'll
the county, as the assessed valuation is
supposed to be only two-thrds Of the
actual, and often il is much less than
that. The great ranges IL this section
are not excellcd in the West, of which
fact the severe winter Just past was an
excellent test. The losses on our north
ern ranges were not a. heavy us in
other portions OF the territory. Wool
growing Is orc of the most important
Industries OF northern Montana, and its
Importance TO Fort Benton is fully
shown by the statement that
,l,25o,oo0 POUNDS oP wooh
were sent 10 market from this point via
the Missouri river last year, with the
prospect that the shipments uf :liis sea-
son--fioM Fort Benton alone will
reach 2,00c, 900 pounds. Much Of this
wool is sold here TO buyers, who catl:er
IL nuaher5 during tho season. TIKI: ILL.,